Jim Roche, a serial entrepreneur for over 25 years, founded Stratford Managers Corporation to help technology companies grow by tapping the experiences of world class senior managers.
Jim is also the head of the Corporate Strategy discipline at Stratford.
Profile
In 1995, Jim left Newbridge to co-found Tundra Semiconductor Corporation. As President & CEO, Jim led the company through double-digit average annual revenue and profit growth, infusing the culture with his values of respect, passion, innovation, integrity and excellence.
Tundra had a successful initial public offering (IPO) in just over three years after its founding and eventually grew to over $1.5B in market value. Responsible for strategic direction, Jim played pivotal roles in attracting and retaining key executives and board members; implementing the succession planning process; overseeing multiple rounds of public and private financing; managing company acquisitions; leading key strategic partnerships; and managing multiple global R&D projects.
In 2006 Jim founded Stratford Managers Corporation. Jim’s extensive senior management and multi-discipline experience yield astute strategies and sage advice for clients striving to accelerate business growth.
Additionally, Jim lends his experience and insight as: an educator and lecturer; an Executive-in-Residence at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa; and former director of Entrepreneur’s Edge (e2), an educational program run by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI).
Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, where he graduated at the top of his class and won multiple scholarships. A lifelong learner, he continues to add to his management skills through extensive reading and executive programs at Stanford, Ivey and elsewhere.
Thought Leadership
- An accomplished presenter, Jim frequently speaks on management topics including strategic alliances, outsourcing strategies, corporate values, building a leadership team, entrepreneurship, strategy development and research commercialization.
Significant Accomplishments
- Helped Newbridge grow to over $1B in revenues and Tundra to over $1.5B in value.
- Led four strategic acquisitions of companies with global operations including two business units from larger companies (IBM and Motorola)
- Formed strategic alliances with National Semiconductor, Cadence, Intel, IBM, Freescale, Synopsys, and Texas Instruments
- Established off-shore design centers in Hangzhou, China through a joint venture and in Hyderabad, India through an acquisition
- Established sales offices throughout Asia, Europe, and North America
- Ran multi-year, multi-million dollar product development projects
- Established strategic relationships with suppliers in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and the United States
- Negotiated strategic supply agreements with some of the world’s largest communications equipment companies including Cisco, Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and Siemens.
- Purchased, renovated, and expanded facilities to house a growing company
- Improved governance practices and championed investor relations (IR) efforts, earning the prestigious TSX IR Company of the Year Award (Tundra)
- Since 1992, Jim has served on over 25 private-sector and not-for-profit boards and committees
Boards and Advisory Committees (Past and Present)
- Aztech Innovations
- CANARIE Inc.
- CMC Microsystems
- DFAIT ICT Advisory Committee
- DNA Genotek
- Eseri Corporation
- Fidus Systems
- NSERC Committee on Research Partnerships
- ThinkRF Corp.
- WiLAN
- Youth Services Bureau
Take the next step. Contact Stratford Managers Corporation.
